Eight Wisconsin tribal nations have joined the defense of a lawsuit challenging a state law that could pave the way for statewide mobile sports betting through tribal gaming compacts.
The tribes joining the case are the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Forest County Potawatomi Community, Ho-Chunk Nation, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Sokaogon Chippewa Community and Stockbridge-Munsee Community.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Arthur Melvin III on Nov. 9 granted a motion allowing the tribes to intervene in Brown County Taxpayers Association v. Evers, according to the court record. Neither the plaintiffs nor the defendants objected.
The ruling adds the tribes as defendants alongside state officials in a case that seeks to block implementation of 2025 Wisconsin Act 247, signed into law in April 2026, authorizing a framework for online sports wagering through tribal gaming agreements.
The lawsuit was filed Aug. 5 by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty on behalf of the Brown County Taxpayers Association and Citizens Defending Liberty. In their complaint, the plaintiffs argue the law unlawfully expands gambling despite a 1993 constitutional amendment restricting most forms of gambling in Wisconsin. The suit also contends that limiting mobile sports betting to operations conducted through tribal gaming compacts grants an exclusive benefit based on tribal membership.
According to trade publication RG.org, tribal attorneys have argued the lawsuit should be dismissed, maintaining that tribal gaming compacts arise from government-to-government relationships between sovereign tribal nations and the state, not racial classifications.
The court set a Dec. 11 deadline for an amended complaint; oral arguments are scheduled for April 20, 2027.
Brian Edwards contributed reporting.
